An Attitude of Gratitude (Recap)

As we close out our Thanksgiving season series on having an attitude of gratitude, we are recapping all of our messages and reinforcing their truths in order to help us more and more to be a people of profound thankfulness for all that God has given us in and through Christ Jesus. So, let’s declare again what we have been gladly declaring throughout this month.

“Father God, we are grateful for Your grace in Christ Jesus” (Col. 3:15-17). We are grateful for God’s grace that saves us by the gift of His unmerited and gracious favor that sought us and set us free from sin’s penalty, power, guilt and shame. And we are grateful for God’s grace that sanctifies us, setting us apart spirit, soul and body for the divine purposes and plans God has for us. And we are grateful for God’s grace that secures us by making us a part of the Great Shepherd’s flock and Fathers God’s family, granting us protection and power to move safely and serenely, confidently and courageously through life. And we are grateful for God’s grace that satisfies us by pouring forth the super-abundant supply of God’s infinite provision to meet our deepest needs because of His great desire to bless and benefit—all in and through Christ Jesus.

“Father God, we are grateful for Your goodness in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4-10). We are grateful for God’s goodness that reveals His divine essence as being essentially and substantively good—a divine attribute that flows into everything He does and every life He touches. And we are grateful for God’s goodness that reveals His dramatic exploits, showing us that He is always at work rescuing, resourcing and rewarding His people through the divine visitation of His Son and His dramatic victory over death, hell and the grave. And we are grateful for God’s goodness that reveals His dramatic effects, whereby people who believe in His Son are transformed from glory to glory to glory—all in and through Christ Jesus.

“Father God, we are grateful for Your gifts in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 4:7-16). We are grateful for God’s gifts in Christ Jesus to men, producing a divinely graced and gifted people who are used to bless and benefit all. And we are grateful for God’s gifts in Christ Jesus of men, making gifted people gifts of grace, love and power to others. And we are grateful for God’s gifts in Christ Jesus through men releasing spiritual gifts that enable, equip and empower men for ministry that builds the church and reaches the world—all in and through Christ Jesus.

“Father God, we are grateful for Your glory in Christ Jesus” (II Cor. 4:5-6). We are grateful for the weight of God’s glory which came to bear on planet earth in Christ as He dwelt among men, bringing men the opportunity to behold God’s glory and believe in the greatness of that glory to transform and conform all into that glory. And we are grateful for the work of God’s glory in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus, providing all men the ability to identify with all that Christ did, and share in that glory with Him. And we are grateful for the wonder of God’s glory as something awe-inspiring and beyond human comprehension, but not beyond human apprehension, as we embrace God’s gracious gift of glory—all in and through Christ Jesus.

Remember: We must give loud, long and loving thanks to God for His grace, goodness, gifts and glory in Christ Jesus, our Conquering King and Living Lord.